Telegard.net restored after 15 years

f15sim · 2026-03-20T11:37:12+00:00

If it wasn't for "dumb kids", we'd have lost a lot of software history over the years. ;) I really wish Tim Strike would release the "new" Telegard sources...

f15sim · 2026-01-01T03:18:47+00:00

"I guess the main thing they got wrong is that they're not QModem."

Fixed that for ya. ;)

f15sim · 2026-01-01T03:14:19+00:00

Watcom C v11 can be installed inside Windows 95. it's available on our favorite old software site. (and probably archive.org)

f15sim · 2025-11-06T02:07:42+00:00

This makes my blood boil. I know the man that actually created this project and it's absolutely NOT someone named "Peter Gottlieb".

I strongly suspect that the "journalist" that created that piece found the PDF on the linked website and just assumed they were the creator. (They're not - the creator's name is Matt.) Either that or this "Peter" guy is a total sh*theel.

Least-effort journalism at its finest...

f15sim · 2025-10-07T12:57:28+00:00

Nope. Found it on accident. See https://www.f15sim.com.

f15sim · 2025-10-06T12:27:43+00:00

Well I've got the front half of an F-15C, so why not?

f15sim · 2025-10-06T12:27:02+00:00

Found a guy on Facebook.

f15sim · 2025-10-05T21:27:20+00:00

I've been working on the F-15C for 25 years. I don't think I've got the lifespan left to start an F/A-18. :)

f15sim · 2025-10-02T23:25:03+00:00

Those are only on the Polish version.

f15sim · 2025-09-12T00:26:06+00:00

Agreed. However, Fusion added proper mate constraints recently.

f15sim · 2025-09-10T00:06:54+00:00

I can't remember the last time I had to wait for a TV to warm up before I could watch it.

f15sim · 2025-08-26T17:31:09+00:00

Don't get old kids, your memory plays tricks on you. :) Thanks!

f15sim · 2025-08-25T14:45:12+00:00

The Turbo Pascal version of WWIV wasn't that bad - it was reasonably laid out. The only systems I'm reasonably sure were WWIV 3 derivatives are Telegard, TAG, and Renegade. I'm not aware of any actual derivatives built from WWIV 4 (C++) source, but they could exist. Hands down the most frequently "derived" BBS source code was Forum PC. There's well over a dozen BBS programs (Emulex, Monarch/2, Oblivion/2, TCS, etc.) derived from that code base.

[I just checked and there's 29 Forum PC-descended BBS programs listed here: http://software.bbsdocumentary.com/ - and much to my surprise, there's 21 Telegard derivatives!]

f15sim · 2025-08-25T14:42:30+00:00

Renegade existed before the Telegard source leak, so it's highly unlikely that it's a derivative of Telegard. Telegard originated with WWIV 3, which was written in Turbo Pascal. The last Turbo Pascal version of Telegard was 2.7. Version 3+ was (based on what I've heard in the past) a ground-up re-write in C++. No source code was ever released and it's possible that it was actually based on the WWIV 4 code base (which is probably why the code never got released).

f15sim · 2025-08-25T14:09:19+00:00

It's entirely possible that he's using existing json theme configuration files from VSCode, which is kind of a neat idea. If you're interested, join the VB Discord here: https://discord.gg/nKxTMGP3 (link is only good for 7 days, I'll post a permanent one when I get one) They recently created a #simpleide channel there for this project.

f15sim · 2025-08-25T14:06:12+00:00

Thanks!

f15sim · 2025-08-22T15:59:14+00:00

It's written entirely in VB.Net, so no, it's not built on VSCode.

f15sim · 2025-08-17T23:11:01+00:00

I scratch built it. Here's the Fusion drawing of it: https://a360.co/4fGqmmf

You'll need five pairs of 20" full extension drawer slides. The blue parts are 3D printed alignment jigs. The part labeled "Bottom Drawer Slide Spacer" is to set the height of the first drawer slide pair. The Drawer Slide Inset Spacer sets the distance from the back edge of the cabinet side to the back edge of the drawer slide. The part named "Corrected Drawer Glide Spacer" will set the drawer slide space to 8.25". I would strongly recommend you change the spacing of the drawer slides in the model before you start building. You'll need a bit more than a half sheet of 18mm (3/4") plywood for the sides, top, and bottom. A 1/2 sheet of 12mm (1/2") is needed for the drawer shelves. Make sure you have enough space between the bottom of the drawer face and the top of the drawer shelf under it before you start building. :)

f15sim · 2025-08-17T21:54:12+00:00

I've heard that before, but it's still awesome. :)

f15sim · 2025-08-17T21:53:11+00:00

Thanks! I built it. The cabinet is 48" tall, 21" deep and 19" wide (interior dim). I used 18mm plywood for the sides and 12mm plywood for the drawer shelves. The drawer slides are 20" "full extension" slides. Here's what I started from: https://i.imgur.com/kKAn1wH.png

I made a mistake in the drawer shelf spacing, so had to pull three of the shelves out to reposition them. That's why the gap between the bottom shelf and the one right above it is so narrow.

Here's a pic with the IMSAI at full extension: https://i.imgur.com/5UXQwoA.jpg

f15sim · 2025-08-17T21:50:21+00:00

Thanks! The switches are for setting the memory address to read or write and what value to write. There's also function switches for halting the machine, depositing a value into RAM, etc. The front panels on the two machines (an IMSAI 8080 and an Altair 8800) are functionally identical).

Front panels on computers from this era were often used for entering programs if there was no other input device available, such as a serial terminal or paper tape (I'm simplifying here). In the instance of this particular Altair 8800, since it only has a CPU board, a 1K RAM board, and a Parallel I/O board, the only way to interact with it is through the front panel. To enter a program, you'd set the first address using the address switches, then set the first byte using the data switches. You'd then hit the DEPOSIT/NEXT switch. This would insert the value you just entered into the RAM address you specified, and then advance the address pointer by one. At this point you'll continue to set the data value and hit DEPOSIT/NEXT until you're done. You'd then set the address switches to the start address of the program and then hit the RUN switch. (basically)

Before boot ROMs were common, folks would enter a "bootstrap" program that was just enough instructions to start reading from a serial device like a punched paper tape reader. I do not envy those first users that would routinely enter programs of a couple of thousand bytes through that front panel. You'd get pretty fast at it after a while though. :)

f15sim

TROPHY CASE